Connecting with Nature in Autumn: Mindful Walks Among the Fallen Leaves

Autumn is known as “the cooling season” for obvious reasons.

The temperatures shift from sweltering summer days to chillier days and evenings requiring warmer clothing, and fireplaces and outdoor firepits are alight with warmth and a cozy welcoming feel.

Vivid hues of eye-catching emerald and bright chartreuse once alive that shaded us from the summer sun on trees overhead surrender to the change and develop into fiery deep crimson, dazzling burnt orange, and electric yellow.

Crunchy leaves underfoot crunch beneath our feet as we walk along enjoying the parade of new colors, and our surroundings seem calmer and more relaxed.

Taking advantage of this time of year to walk among the fallen leaves, cooler evenings, and babbling streams along wooded trails is a rewarding experience.

And being mindful during these walks is also beneficial to our (well-being), our innate desire for serenity within ourselves, and it allows us to clear our minds of unimportant things and refresh ourselves with the new season upon us.

Benefits of Mindfulness Nature Walks

Lighter-colored puzzle pieces are assembled and interconnected around a central lavender piece, which is inscribed with the word "benefits." — ^{The benefits of being mindful can help us live healthier happier lives.}

Grounding yourself in the present moment can be done during mindful walking. Besides, that’s what being mindful is about…being present.

Focusing your attention on your surroundings – the sounds, the sights, the feel of the cool air against your skin – all help to bring us to a place of calmness and centering.

According to an article by PubMed.com, “…stress has been measured in real-time non-laboratory studies of stress responses to deliberate exposure to outdoor environments. The types of exposures evaluated in this review include: nature viewing, outdoor walks, outdoor exercise and gardening.”

Experiencing nature has been shown to reduce stress levels, elevate our mood, and show an improvement in our well-being.

Just imagine an office setting: the desk, the file cabinets, the white board on the wall, the computer you stare at all day, the phone that doesn’t stop ringing. Fluorescent overhead lights cast an unappealing glow over you. You have no window or evidence that a world even exists outside of that room. Just you and that ultimate countdown to five-o-clock.

A woman in her 40s, blonde with shoulder-length hair, is seated at a computer. She's dressed in a black blazer and a white collared blouse, speaking on the phone with one hand while using the other to operate the computer. — _{^{A common stressful location for many people is the workplace where anxiety and stress can overwhelm us.}}

Now think of taking a slow observant walk in the woods or a park while you enjoy the sounds of birds singing and a gentle breeze blowing crunchy dried leaves along a sidewalk. Visualizing the bold deep colors of trees that have turned colors for the season.

Maybe there’s a pond of ducks and geese, or possibly a river or flowing stream you hear in the background as well.

The cool air feels nice against your skin.

You’re refreshed in some way.

You feel grateful.

You feel alive.

Now which one do you like better?

A study published in the journal, “Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine” discovered that strolling in a natural environment “significantly lowered cortisol levels (a key indicator of stress) compared to walking in urban environments.”

We can awaken all of our senses when taking a mindful walk in nature with the season’s chillier refreshing air, the aroma of fireplaces wafting through the breeze, or the smell of a local beanery roasting their popular beans for that next hot mug of coffee.

Let these things ground you if your mind wanders. You can always bring it back to the present moment and continue to enjoy and absorb all the things surrounding you on your walk.

How to Practice Mindful Walking in the Fall

A young Asian couple sits side by side on a brown wooden bench in a park, with a walking path beside them. The backdrop features fall trees and colors in a soft blur. The man is holding a pad of paper, and the woman has a pen in one hand, both reviewing what they've written prior to a mindful walk. — _{^{Intention setting can be a good guide to examine before taking mindful walks.}}

1. Find a Natural Setting

Locate a local park, walking trail in the forest, or tree-lined space where you can allow yourself to absorb nature all around you.

You want to be in a space that offers a variety of beautiful colors, textural things to feel like the bark of trees, a soft patch of grass, or a flowing stream to run your fingers through.

The idea is to be in a place that brings you relaxation, peace, and calmness in a natural setting.

2. Intention Setting

Setting an intention before you take your walk will help you to focus your thoughts on being mindful as you explore.

Take a mindful minute to think of an intention you want to set that will keep you centered or grounded while you take your stroll.

For instance, “I will pay attention to each step I take, listening to the crunch of the leaves below my feet.”

Or “I will notice the natural beauty surrounding me on my walk.”

Or “I will notice each breath of cool air into my lungs and be grateful for that.”

A brunette young woman in her early twenties is dressed in a black leotard, sitting cross-legged and meditating. Her hands are facing upwards, and her eyes are closed in meditation. Around her, there are birds, the image of a babbling stream, a white flower in bloom, and leaves in autumnal colors. — _{^{Our senses being incorporated into our mindfulness walks aids in mental focus and clarity.}}

3. Involve Your Senses

Engage all of your senses when you walk. See the vivid hues of the leaves – the deep reds, bright oranges, defining yellows, even the muted browns. Notice how the colors change depending on how the sun hits them.

Listen to the breeze blowing through the treetops. That sound always reminds me of ocean waves washing onto the shore. (But that’s just me!) Hear the birds singing and the crunching of dried leaves beneath your feet as you take each step.

Feel the cool air against your warm skin, or touch the dry, crisp leaves on the ground, or the bark of a tree against your hand.

4. Center Your Breathing

Concentrate on your breath while you take your walk. Take deep breaths and allow the cool, fall fresh air to fill your lungs. When you exhale, allow all of the stress and anxiety you have inside you to leave your body with your breath.

I sometimes visualize positive images – laughter, plus symbols (+), musical notes, people smiling, sunsets, book signings, the beach, things that bring me joy – when I mindfully inhale. Then, when I exhale, I picture sadness, negativity, minus symbols (-), irritating noises and loud sounds, tears – things that I find to be the opposite – riding along my breath when it is leaving my body.

That just works for me.

A beautiful brunette woman in her 20s gazes at her reflection in a mirror. The mirror boasts a gilded gold frame, and she is adorned in a V-neck blouse of a muted gray hue. — _{^{Taking a moment to reflect can lead us in a more focused direction.}}

5. Reflection for Direction

Reflecting on your life while you are mindfully walking among the autumn beauty that surrounds you can lead to a positive sense of direction. Enjoying a stop along a flowing stream for a few minutes or sitting on a tree stump to watch a family of deer walk through the forest can enhance our reflection of where we need to be in our life.

That pausing to enjoy and observe nature can have therapeutic effects on us also. I know it does for me when I take my mindfulness walks.

We’re moving so fast, doing so many things all of the time, wearing ourselves down so much that we don’t provide ourselves with a respite from it all.

It’s nice to intentionally stop for a minute or two and just take the natural beauty in around us. Especially in the fall season when the climate is cooler and so refreshing.

It’s also nice to pay attention to the change of the seasons during this time. The environment shifts from hot to cool in its shedding of the warmer days and hot summer sun. It then welcomes the chillier crisp weather with all of its own special moments and offerings.

A man in his sixties, dressed in a white lab coat over a plain collared shirt and sporting black-rimmed glasses, grips a large test tube filled to three-quarters with a pink substance. He is positioned in the midst of a forest, enveloped by the vibrant colors of fall foliage and plentiful shrubbery. — _{^{There is scientific research showing a direct connection between nature and our mental health.}}

The Science Behind Nature’s Importance on Mindfulness

Connecting with nature through mindful walks has been proven to directly affect our mental health. Mindfulness practices you probably have heard of like forest bathing and walking meditations have been heralded for the positive health benefits they provide.

The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health notes that spending time in natural surroundings betters mental function, while lowering side effects of anxiety and depression.

Walks in nature can also encourage imagination, creativity, and better problem-solving behavior.

In fact, research posted in a publication of PLOS One explains how people who spent time in nature demonstrated a 50% increase in creativity as opposed to individuals in metropolitan areas.

That is a massive difference just taking a mindful walk in nature can make on an individual. (I don’t know about you but count me in for sure!)

A black woman in her thirties is dressed in a short-sleeved t-shirt emblazoned with the word "change" in white letters. She extends her arms outward in a gesture of celebration, her eyes closed and a smile on her face. She's also clad in stonewashed grey jeans, set against a backdrop of muted taupe. — _{^{Learning to embrace change in our lives is reflective of the changing seasons.}}

Connecting with Nature Through Embracing Change: What We Can Learn from the Fall Season

The autumn season helps us to realize that change equals growth and a moving-on with life’s cycles. Trees release let go of their leaves, just like we can let go of our problems and those things that hold us back from living our best life.

We can learn valuable lessons from observing the changing seasons of our planet. Change, for one, is going to happen despite whether we think it is time or not. As we learn to adapt our lives to change – just like the seasons do – we can take note of the power in that.

Surrounding yourself in natural settings during your mindfulness walk isn’t just about getting your body moving, although that doesn’t hurt. But it also helps to aid in a more meaningful, deeper feeling of belonging to something bigger than ourselves.

A young woman with long, light brunette hair cradles a pale pink wool wrap over the white sweater she's snugly wearing while strolling through a brightly colored forest in the cool autumn weather. A subtle smile graces her face, indicating her enjoyment of the walk. She's clad in dark blue jeans, one knee fashionably torn. — _{^{Mindfulness walks in nature can be beneficial to our mental state.}}

An Autumn Wrap-Up

Connecting with nature during the transition of summer to fall is a perfect excuse to try mindfulness walks in nature. Reducing stress and anxiety, increasing creativity and cognitive functions, and just an overall sense of peace and tranquility can be enjoyed by placing yourself in natural settings and just being open and observant.

Let this fall season be the year you decide to start practicing mindfulness walks in nature. It will help to clear the mental fog we experience at times, unclutter the emotional file cabinet we deal with on a daily basis, and unpack that suitcase of fear and uncertainty.

MY MINDFUL REQUEST:

Let me know your thoughts about mindfulness walks and how you benefited from them this fall. I would truly enjoy hearing your story, and even your pictures if you take some while on your walk.